FINALLY.....RHODA!!!!!!!!!!!!! (1 Viewer)

[moogaboo]

I've always loved Valerie Harper and "Rhoda," a show that's been out of reruns for a decade now, so I'll still be somewhat happy to buy this. I'll just expect the absolute worst, in order to stave off any further disappointment. Music cuts, syndi cuts, awful sound and picture -- bring it on. At least I can hear the theme song again, and the box will look nice on my shelf.

 

[Dan*T]

I've always loved Valerie Harper and "Rhoda," a show that's been out of reruns for a decade now, so I'll still be somewhat happy to buy this. I'll just expect the absolute worst, in order to stave off any further disappointment. Music cuts, syndi cuts, awful sound and picture -- bring it on. At least I can hear the theme song again, and the box will look nice on my shelf.

You said it!!

 

[Brian Himes]

Well, Shout has released some clips from the set. Here's the link:
Rhoda DVD news: Video Clips for Rhoda - Season 1 | TVShowsOnDVD.com
Not a real good way to judge the set becasue they used clips from the Wedding episode, which as we've all read is one of the few uncut episodes in good condition. Glad they provided clips, but I'd rather have seen clips from a couple more of the episodes to get a better overall picture of how the set is going to look. Oh well. At least they did provide clips.

 

[Ethan Riley]

There is a fantasy that we TV-on-DVD obsessives (and I'm one of them) often have, and that's that a significant number of buyers or potential buyers are aware of cut episodes, or music replacement, or what have you. Realize, though, what a small group we really are. Catering to us (much as I appreciate it) will not help sales appreciably. The fact is, the vast majority of sales are made to people who see the box and say to themselves "Hey, I liked that show." To assume that these studios are imperiling themselves by not groveling to a fringe group like us is actually more ignorant, and arrogant, than I think the studios are (generally) being.

Is that a fact? Why is it a crime to desire quality in our dvd purchases? And let me add that I can't understand any dvd company--Shout! included--that would actually want to put out a sub-par product. Anybody in business understands that the more often you do a crummy job--the closer you come to unemployment. I don't expect them to grovel to me by putting out quality merchandise--they should answer to themselves first and foremost. They should have the satisfaction of a job well done. I don't understand any other reason to get up in the morning. Why would anybody want to be in the dvd production business full knowing they're not doing a good job?
Also, although internet posters may be a minority, our opinions usually are representative of the general populace. You don't expect everyone with an opinion to suddenly rush to hometheaterforum.com and post their views on every dvd they buy now do you? No. We may be a "fringe" group, but we say what the majority are thinking anyway.

 

[vnisanian2001]

Well, Shout has released some clips from the set. Here's the link:
Rhoda DVD news: Video Clips for Rhoda - Season 1 | TVShowsOnDVD.com
Not a real good way to judge the set becasue they used clips from the Wedding episode, which as we've all read is one of the few uncut episodes in good condition. Glad they provided clips, but I'd rather have seen clips from a couple more of the episodes to get a better overall picture of how the set is going to look. Oh well. At least they did provide clips.

You'll also notice, if you read the press release, David Lambert mentions Shout brainstorming ways to make improvements to future sets, even though there haven't been any promises yet.
Shout has improved on shows in the past. Fans complained about Father Knows Best season one being plagued with syndicated episodes, and in response to that, season two was released in an unedited fashion, and so will the upcoming season three release.
Who knows. If S2-S5 are unedited, it may convince them to redo season 1. First Look did that with The Cosby Show.

 

[Mike*SC]

Quote:

Go to a forum about something you don't care at all about and see what those people are claiming "we" want. They are all, like this forum, echo chambers that suggest a groundswell of like-thinking people, when that rarely exists. Go to the Game Show Network boards, where fanatics insist "we" demand they cancel some new poker show because it's keeping "$25,000 Pyramid" reruns off the air. Or the movie soundtrack forums, where the posters (okay, I'm one of them) are delusional enough to believe the public at large are clamoring for a release of the complete score to the movie "Link." My favorite was several years ago, when fans of the original "Battlestar Galactica" had actually convinced themselves that there would be a march on the Sci-Fi Channel in NY, 100,000 people strong (!), protesting the new version of the series. If anybody actually showed up, they were never heard.
Truly, as a TV on DVD fanatic myself, I wish this were not the case. And truly, I mean this all with respect. But let's have a little perspective here.

 

[MilesH]

You'll also notice, if you read the press release, David Lambert mentions Shout brainstorming ways to make improvements to future sets, even though there haven't been any promises yet.

David Lambert is the biggest Shout cheerleader/apologist on the Internet so take anything he says with a grain of salt. You'll remember he also tried unsuccessfully to convince his readers that the WKRP mess was no big deal. Sorry Dave, you can shill for Shout all day long but their actual work is consistently second rate and their lackluster reputation is well deserved.

 

[nikkif99uk]

I Understand that everyone is dissapointed. But isn't "some" Rhoda better than "none" Rhoda?
I've waited for this for years, and I will still pick it up. I look at it this way, in 35 years, anything could have, and probably DID happen to the masters.
Aren't some of you guys being a bit harsh?
I mean, it's not like watching "Friends" or "Seinfeld" which is on ten times a day on thirty diiferent channels.
Rhoda is definetly hard to come by.
I have some butchered/edited episodes which I recorded from TVLAND Canada, and the show is still very enjoyable to watch.

I agree this show will be a blind buy for me but still plan to buy it in the future.

 

[vnisanian2001]

David Lambert is the biggest Shout cheerleader/apologist on the Internet so take anything he says with a grain of salt. You'll remember he also tried unsuccessfully to convince his readers that the WKRP mess was no big deal. Sorry Dave, you can shill for Shout all day long but their actual work is consistently second rate and their lackluster reputation is well deserved.

Don't you dare talk **** about him like that. I hope you get banned for that.
I refuse to take anything he says with a grain of salt. A lot of people on these boards have nothing but good things to say about him, but it's really sad and pathetic that you, on the other hand, don't.
Like I said before, I hope you get banned for talking **** about him.

 

[Simon Caleb]

Well, we'll ALL have to cross our bits this first season sells well enough to the fans (who the hell else will be buying) for SF to continue it, otherwise we shall be left with another dropped series.

I however won't be buying into it until they improve in quality. This isn't due to other more pressing releases, personally I don't buy into (knowingly) censored shows/films, period.

 

[Joe Lugoff]

I certainly hope NO ONE gets banned for expressing an honest opinion, even if I vehemently disagree with it.

 

[pitchman]

Based on news that has already trickled out, we all had a feeling this was going to be a poor quality release. I guess I just never imagined it would be quite so BAD! Stuart Galbraith's DVD Talk review is up and his comments border on shocking. He calls Rhoda - Season One a "...home video travesty" and ...an early contender for the "Worst DVD of 2009." Obviously, we need other reviewers to chime in, but this does not bode well, IMO...

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Obviously, we need other reviewers to chime in, but this does not bode well, IMO...

The worse news is that -- according to that review -- and as already discussed here --- most of the included eps are the syndicated versions; and that even MTM's cameo in the first episode is cut out!!
Mr. Galbraith also indicated that the syndicated cuts were sourced from very poor quality video tape masters.
Definitely, and unfortunately, a "No Sale" ...

 

[vnisanian2001]

Obviously, we need other reviewers to chime in, but this does not bode well, IMO...

Stuart made two tiny mistakes.
He said that the only uncut episode on disc 2 is the Wedding episode. Actually, the next episode on that disc, "The Honeymoon", is also uncut (25:28).
He also said that "The Lady in Red" is uncut. Actually, it is cut (22:48).
Also, skees53 didn't mention in his review the time compression like Stuart did.

 

[Jack P]

So this is what Shout felt was worth putting out more than S2 of "The Bill Cosby Show" which we've been waiting more than two years for.
The instant Shout saw the condition of what was being furnished them, they should have told Fox to forget it. Instead they took boot level quality episodes and dressed them up in fancy packaging to con the unsuspecting into thinking they were getting an improvement over whatever boot stuff they might have gotten in the past.

 

[vnisanian2001]

So this is what Shout felt was worth putting out more than S2 of "The Bill Cosby Show" which we've been waiting more than two years for.

And I wouldn't be one bit surprised if you believe in the fairy tale story that that show was doing just fine in terms of sales, much like how you probably also believe in that fairy tale story that Ironside was also doing just fine in terms of sales.

 

[Jack P]

If Shout! thinks something in this kind of supar quality could sell more copies than one more season of Cosby, that's my definition of a fairy tale.

 

[MatthewA]

I guess Rhoda can now take its rightful place in the TV on DVD Hall of Shame. It certainly won't be lonely. It'll have WKRP, Mama's Family, and ALF to talk to.

 

[vnisanian2001]

I guess Rhoda can now take its rightful place in the TV on DVD Hall of Shame. It certainly won't be lonely. It'll have WKRP, Mama's Family, and ALF to talk to.

What's on DVD is not Rhoda. It's "ODA".

 

[FrankPitt]

I've been on the fence about this for weeks. Although I pre-ordered the set from Amazon, the constant stream of bad news filled me with doubt. This most recent review sealed the deal and I've canceled my order. I can handle poor video quality to a degree, but cut/missing scenes are another story. And knowing that MTM's cameo is missing from the first episode (which is a huge selling point for me), combined with time-compressed episodes *and* bad quality video was enough for me.

I'll still rent it from Netflix to enjoy what I can of the show, but I can't justify purchasing the set. Not at that price point and in the shape it seems to be in. I might change my mind post-rental (and I hope I do), but right now, it doesn't sound worth the money.